


Distance

by Chaosprincess



Series: Distance [1]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Basically most of the cast towards the end, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-22 08:19:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2500982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosprincess/pseuds/Chaosprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Izaya takes a huge step towards bettering his mental and emotional health. Ikebukuro and its inhabitants don't take it too well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Brackets are text messages. Not Beta-read. Hopefully I can update once a day, seeing as I've written most of the chapters already.

“IZAAAAAYAAAAAA!”

Izaya froze, completely stunned. He stood just inside of the airport and stared at the blond with an _almost_ vulnerable expression. With all his genius, he could not comprehend why he would show up now of all times. But then, the monster was just being as unpredictable as always. That was exactly why this had to happen.

Shizuo was scowling, but that didn’t help Izazya discern the beast’s intention as he marched forward. Izaya watched his limbs closely for signs of which direction he would need to dodge. Running could mean abandoning his carry-on bag, but there were only snacks and reading material inside anyway, nothing irreplaceable. Shizuo was dangerously close now, killing-range.

“Shizu-chan~! How kind of you to see me off,” Izaya said smoothly. “Say your goodbyes quickly though, or you’ll make me miss my flight.”

“You aren’t catching a damn flight!” Shizuo shouted, harsh enough to make even Izaya shiver internally. 

“This isn’t quite the reaction I expected,” Izaya replied coolly, trying to slink towards airport security. 

“And what the Hell kind of reaction DID you expect? You say goodbye to everyone except me?!”

“Why would I say goodbye to you?”

“Because-“ Shizuo started furiously, only to be cut brutally short by his own lack of explanation. They were enemies. They hated each other. It made no sense for Izaya to consider his feelings. It made no sense for Shizuo to _have_ feelings about this. “I deserve the chance to kick your ass one more time! After all the shit I've put up from you over the years, I think I deserve it! Don’t you even want to taunt me?!”

“We’ve already done all that.”

“No we haven’t!”

“I waved to you at Russia Sushi two days ago. You threw a mailbox at me and chased me back to Shinjuku.”

“That’s all I get?”

“You wanted more?” Izaya asked with that infuriating smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

“Stop perverting shit, Louse!”

“You implied it. Anyway, if all you wanted was a goodbye then I’ll say it now. Goodbye Shizu-chan, it’s been real.”

Shizuo’s expression melted into one of confusion and uncertainty. Was this really happening? Was Izaya leaving for good? The flea was turning away.

“Wait!” Shizuo bellowed, making a grab for his hoodie and missing.

Izaya turned to face him anyway, from a reasonable distance.

“What now?”

“You can’t just go!”

“And why’s that?”

“You can’t just start all this and leave me to deal with it!”

“All of what?” Izaya asked, deliberately obtuse.

“THIS!” Shizuo shouted, as if volume would explain. 

“Our rivalry is as much a nuisance to my life as it is to yours, Shizu-chan. You interfere with my work and play, while I interfere with your pathetic attempts to live a peaceful human life. I’ve found that the only solution to this dilemma is distance.”

“Distance?”

“Yes. You and I putting as much distance between each other as possible.”

“We’d have distance if you just kept your ass in Shinjuku!”

“No, not nearly far enough. You could barge in at any time and accuse me of causing trouble in Ikebukuro.”

“That was just once!”

“Besides, Ikebukuro is far more interesting than Shinjuku, and I don’t think its fair that you get all the fun. If I go to a new city, I can have it all to myself.”

“Then go to the next nearest city! I don’t get what you’re leaving the country for!”

Izaya sighed. He really _didn’t_ have time to wait for Shizuo’s protozoan brain to process all this. He had maybe twenty minutes before they wouldn’t let him board.

“So, wait a minute…I’m the reason you’re leaving,” Shizuo asked, his scowl lessening a little.

“Of course not! As if I’d allow a monster like you to dictate my life choices!” Izaya scoffed. 

“Then why!” Shizuo growled. 

“I’m not exactly welcome here. Too many enemies to live comfortably anymore. My safety and a dozen other reasons, which I don’t have time to explain, are why I’m going and why so far. In any case, I don’t intend to return.

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

There was a pause, and Izaya’s smirking mask was just that, a mask. But Shizuo’s scowl was contorting in a way that looked strangely….disappointed.

“This is good news,” Izaya helpfully reminded him, in case the beast was just so stupid he had somehow mistaken it for bad. 

“Whatever,” Shizuo replied, anger seemingly vanished. “Good riddance, Louse.”

The debt collector turned on his heel and exited the airport, leaving Izaya to marvel after him. Still smirking, he murmured, “Goodbye Shizu-chan.”


	2. The enemy of my friend is my other friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinra knows its a long shot, but he's willing to do anything to make the city safe enough to take Celty out on date nights again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I've gotten most of the chapters written already and I'm pretty impatient so I'll probably uploading one every day unless strange circumstances arise. Again, these aren't beta-read. Also, brackets are [text messages].

Izaya had been gone no longer than a month before Ikebukuro went straight to shit. Gang violence increased, considerably visible now since they couldn’t secretly snipe each other from the shadows. Illegal contraband flooded the streets. Street punks were getting bolder despite the outcome of the last gang war. Even the cops were getting downright terrifying. On top of everything else, no one in the upper-levels of organized crime knew what the Hell was going on with their opposing sides. 

Most importantly, without the help of a certain informant, Celty was lacking in courier jobs and Shinra was busy stitching up victims of the clumsy strikes against the Awakusa. The more underworld violence escalated the more Shinra realized that what the criminals needed was a guiding hand, someone to line the dominoes up nice and neat so that the collateral damage was not so great. The city needed Izaya Orihara, who no longer gave a damn about it. 

[Izaya, I KNOW you’re getting these!]

[Shinra~! To what do I owe the pleasure of your last fifty or so texts and phone calls?]

[Ikebukuro is in total chaos without you! Even if it’s because you set it up that way, I don’t care! Just come back and fix it! Celty and I can’t even go on proper dates because the city is too dangerous! ( T_T ) ]

[Set it up? Shinra, I’m shocked that you think I’m capable of such a thing!]

[Drop the innocent act. Why’d you even leave if you were just gonna make it so you had to come back? Was all this some twisted lesson that we should have appreciated you more or something?]

[I’ve told you many times before that I’m _not_ coming back. The city will straighten itself out. One of the criminal organizations will come out on top and the rest will fall into line all on their own.]

[I see….and what happens if the one on top isn’t the Awakusu? What will happen to me and Celty? Or are we just collateral damage to you?]

[Ahhh, Shinra! I’m wounded! You’re my friend! Of course, you aren’t just collateral damage.]

[That’s the way its shaping up to be. Celty’s basically out of work. Some of the jobs the Awakusu are demanding are ones they would have given you! They act like she's disposable or something.]

[Don’t be ridiculous. Celty isn’t an Information Broker.]

[A distinction I’ve pointed out to them already. Those jobs are just too dangerous!]

[Well, she is practically immortal.]

[That's not the point! I'm not letting my Celty take those kinds of risks! Suppose they find out about....you know?]

[It’ll get better. Trust me. In a few months this’ll all blow over and you can go back to ignoring me. I have to go now, the show is starting.]

Shinra sighed. He couldn’t wait a few months. Not when his future with Celty was in serious danger now. She might be immortal, but he certainly wasn't. He’d have to find some other way to get through to Izaya.

_One week later  
Shinra’s Apartment_

“Why do you think he’ll listen to me?” Shizuo asked with the most dumbfounded look on his face.

“Because you’re most likely the reason he left in the first place,” Shinra replied with a frustrated sigh.

“Hey! I’ve been leaving him alone!”

“That’s the point, Shizuo! You’ve been _ignoring_ him. You know how much he hates to be ignored.”

“He’s been leaving me alone too! I don't get why he had to just up and leave like that when we were barely fighting these days to begin with!”

“He’s given up on you, because he thinks you’ve given up on him!”

“You make it sound...weird…”

Shinra sighed again. He wished both his friends weren’t so willfully ignorant of their own feelings. Ever since Celty first mentioned it, everything about them had fallen into place in Shinra’s mind. The passionate hatred, the way none of the death threats were really carried out (though they might be someday if these two didn’t figure it out), the way Izaya had kept dodging the subject of Shizuo before his depature. _He didn’t even let Shizuo know he was going. He just tried to leave…If I hadn’t mentioned it to him in passing, Izaya might have just vanished from Shizuo’s life without a trace._

“Just text him, please. Threaten him if you want, just try to get him back here for Celty’s sake.”

Threats wouldn’t convince him, Shinra knew, but enough contact with Shizuo might draw him back, like a moth to a flame. 

“Fine,” Shizuo grumbled. “For Celty….and thanks for fixing up my leg.”

Kicking a car down the street was too much for even Shizuo’s skin, but those assholes had it coming. What did they think they were doing speeding past that red light? If he were a normal person they could have killed him. _People in this city have lost their damn minds,_ Shizuo thought. _What gives? Isn't it supposed to be peaceful around here without him?_

_8 PM  
Bucharest, Romania_

A loud beeping alerted Izaya to another text message on his “personal” cellphone. Having no doubt that it was Shinra again, he flipped it open with every intention of reading it without replying. 

[Get your ass back here, damn Louse!]

It was obvious who it was from, though he couldn’t fathom _why_ he would receive such a text from his most hated enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's pretty vague/uneventful but there's better ones ahead. Also, if you're wondering about where this falls in canon, hmmm, I'd say sometime after the anime. It definitely doesn't line up with the later light novels.


	3. Laying the Bait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izaya wasn't expecting to see or hear from him ever again, let alone within the month!

Forgoing the obvious question of how and why Shizuo Hewajima obtained his number, Izaya replied.

[Shizu-Chan~! What a pleasure to hear from you!]

A great deal of sarcasm was intended, even the protozoan couldn’t mistake those words for genuine. 

[Come back to Ikebukuro, coward!]

It was bait, but Izaya couldn’t resist.

[And how, pray tell, am I a coward?]

[You ran away from all your problems and left us to stew in your shit!]

Aside from reflexive defensiveness, Izaya realized Shizu-chan had a point. _Oh well,_ he mentally sang, shameless bastard that he was. He was even a little proud of himself. He’d cut so many losses and made so many gains in his decision to leave. In fact, it was downright courageous of him to take such a big plunge into (mostly) unknown territory. Not to mention the pay off so far had been huge. 

Rather than concede, Izaya countered.

[Isn’t this what you wanted?]

[I want you dead, not off ruining other people’s lives halfway across the world while managing to fuck up Ikebukuro just by not being here!]

[Tsk, tsk, so greedy, Shizu-chan. You can’t have it all at once! Look at it this way, you can pretend I’m dead. Everything happening in Ikebukuro right now would still be happening if I was dead and gone. As for what’s happening to me, well, imagine it’s my own personal Hell.]

[Bullshit! I can’t pretend you’re dead ‘cause I can still sense you! And you aren’t in Hell! You’re just torturing some innocent people in another country!]

[The people I’m torturing are far from innocent.]

[So you admit it, Flea!]

[I said pretend I’m in Hell. I didn’t say pretend I’m not the Devil.]

[You evil despicable disgusting bastard! If I ever see you again, you’re dead!]

[Isn’t this the opposite of what you should be saying to get me back?]

[Forget what I said! We’re all a billion times better off without you! Drop dead, Louse!]

[Goodbye, Shizu-chan~ Call me sometime. ;) ]

Izazya grinned and skipped around his new studio apartment. It was always so thrilling to put Shizu-chan in a fit of rage. This was so much more satisfying than their last meeting at the airport! He had no doubt that if Shizu-chan could have reached through the phone he would have snapped his neck in two like the monster he was.

“I think I’ll have some otoro today!” Izaya chirped to the empty apartment. He really _would_ have to replace Namie soon! If only she’d come with him! Bucharest was a beautiful city, and he needed someone to gloat to!


	4. Detrimental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izaya knows this is unhealthy for him, and yet he plays along. After all, how long can it last?

The next day Izaya was greeted by another text from Ikebukuro's beast.

[You’re really pissing me off.]

[Twice in two days, Shizu-chan? You must really miss me!]

[Like Hell I do! I just hate seeing Ikebukuro go to shit because of you!]

[It’ll straighten itself out. Give it another month or two.]

[People are dying!]

[All part of life, Shizu-chan.]

[Thought you loved humans.]

[I do, but I acknowledge that I can’t save them all from themselves. Even if I returned, I’d be more compelled to observe than interfere.]

[Sick bastard.]

[Again with the insults? Lame! Come back with new material.]

[I’m gonna rip your throat out with my teeth.]

Izaya laughed aloud.

[Hmmm, better, but not enough to hold my interest. I have work to do. Goodbye Shizu-chan.]

[Hey! Don’t you dare ignore me, Flea!]

Shizuo’s fingers mashed the buttons. He waited half-a-minute with no response.

[Izaya!]

…

[IZAYA!]

To end the incessant beeping, Izaya silenced his phone. When he returned to his apartment from “work” he flipped it open again. His eyes narrowed at the 224 unread messages from Shizu-chan. Not bothering to scroll back, he simply eyed the most recent words on screen.

[Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill]

Izaya sighed. This could really be a problem, though a small part of him still delighted in having Shizu-chan’s full attention, his unadulterated monstrous rage. He didn’t reply that night. He had to show some restraint.

The next few days weren’t much better. A volley of threats and curses were exchanged. Izaya now carried his personal phone with him at all times, though he often didn’t reply until he was off work just to piss Shizu-chan off further. 

[I wouldn’t return to Japan even if I was dying and Shinra had the only cure.]

[That’s a damn lie! You’re too much of a coward to just lay down and die like that.]

[Interesting….wouldn’t it make me a coward to die here instead of return too?]

[Every act is a cowardly one when you commit it Flea!]

[Awww, do you mean to say I’m incapable of any acts of courage at all?]

[Exactly.] 

[Shizu-chan is mean! :( ]

[You can’t even defend yourself!]

[Leaving Japan is the bravest thing I’ve ever done.]

[And still it was running away! You’re pathetic, Flea!]

[Well, according to you, even if I came back it would cowardly of me. So I see no reason why I shouldn’t stay put.]

[Because that’s even more cowardly!]

[Ahhh, I see, so there are levels of cowardice?]

Izaya was just teasing now. He had zero intention of returning, ever, so he decided to play with Shizu-chan while he held the monster’s interest. Soon the beast would realize the truth and quit wasting his time. Izaya denied the phantom pain this thought spurred in his chest. A drawn out goodbye. That’s all this was.


	5. The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The need for him to return has lessened, and yet the beast persists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time passes pretty quickly from here on, so I've written in italics time changes. In later chapters there will be more specifics on how long he's been gone and what time the chats take place.

_Three months later_

As expected, Ikebukuro had settled down on its own. Izaya knew this from news articles, chat rooms, message boards and the distinct lack of urgent text messages from Shinra. Oddly, Shizuo continued to text Izaya on the regular. 

[I see you haven’t grown a spine yet.]

[Good evening, Shizu-chan!]

[It’s the ass-crack of dawn here.]

[Ah forgive me, different time zones and all.]

[You do it on purpose. It’s been months. I think you can tell what the time difference is. You respond at these hours on purpose.]

[Honestly, I don’t think about it much.]

[Of course not. You don’t think of anything that doesn’t affect you.]

[Why so cold, Shizu-chan?]

[Because you wouldn’t understand warmth, Flea.]

Izaya pondered that for a moment. 

[Pfft, as if a monster like you is capable of warmth.]

[I am, but I know for a fact that you’re not. So why would I waste it on you?]

Izaya wasn’t sure why, but something about that message ticked him off. 

[You know where warmth from you leads, hmmm? To broken bones and holes in walls and having to suppress all emotions to keep from “pissing you off”. Imagine that, having to hide yourself to be in the presence of a beast like you.]

Shizuo may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he could sense that somewhere in there was a dig at Kasuka.

[Most people don’t have to hide themselves because their true selves aren’t shit-eating vultures like you!]

[Right, because you’re such an expert at reading other people.]

[I was right about you at least. I have good instincts.]

[Like the animal you are.]

[And you’re the blood-sucking Flea on my back.]

[No one is forcing you to text me, idiot! Or has that single-celled brain of yours already forgotten that it was you who came crawling back to me?]

Izaya glared at the screen, awaiting response. After the first minute, he accepted that there wouldn’t be any more. That was fine by him. Now he had time to wonder about his own reaction. It was so rare that the monster’s words got to him. Had this time away from Ikebukuro softened his shell somehow? No, he was feeling better than ever, almost invincible, in his daily life here. He chalked it up to a lucky shot on Shizu-chan’s part. 

In any case, the protozoan had managed to ruin his evening and Izaya was comforted only by the knowledge that he wouldn’t be ruining any others.

***

Days passed and Izaya cheered himself up by observing the many new people around him. He even tested a few of his precious new humans, putting them in awful situations and seeing how they would react. One girl in particular had been known for loudly complaining that she hated her mother in a coffee shop Izaya frequented. Izaya had been delighted to see her beautiful terror when she got the call that said mother had been in a car accident and in critical condition. Naturally, the call was a fake and Izaya gladly came forward and revealed this while mocking her for her shallow-imitation of hatred. He watched her from a distance after that. As far as he could tell, she never complained about her mother again.

He didn’t mess with anyone too important. After all, he rather liked it here and would rather not be driven out by its alarmingly powerful crime rings any time soon. Then, out of the blue, his personal cellphone vibrated in its drawer. He checked the message.

[You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?]

It was obviously from Shizuo. Izaya’s fingers itched to reply, but he didn’t want Shizu-chan to think he’d been waiting around for him (because he hadn’t. He hadn’t expected another text from Shizuo ever). An hour later, Izaya could no longer wait. He wanted to skirt the issue, but he forced himself to take it head on. Continued contact with the beast was a _bad_ thing. He knew this because in those first weeks after he’d left, his state of mind had greatly clarified and improved. Then Shizu-chan had started texting and once again his vision muddied and his thoughts began to drift too often to Ikebukuro. 

[And yet you still text. Why is that? Shinra hasn’t texted or called me in the last 42 days. I’d say he’s not too pressed to get me back.]

[You count the days? Geeze, is he your boyfriend or something? Should I tell Celty?]

[Hardly. He’s my only friend. And I don’t count the days, the date is listed right here on my phone.]

[So you checked?]

[I wanted to be exact.]

[Whatever. Just come home and yell at him if you’re that pissed.]

[I am home and I’m not pissed. I’m simply explaining why I find it unlikely that Shinra is the reason you keep up this little game.]

[This is _not_ a game. You’re the only dumbass that makes up stupid games instead of just dealing with people honestly.]

[Oh? But it is a game. The game is called, “Get Izaya to come back to Ikebukuro”]

[Games have rules.]

[This game does have rules. Rule #1 You can’t just show up here and physically drag me back.]

[THE HELL I CAN’T!]

[That’s right, you can’t. For one thing, you can’t afford it on that debt collector salary of yours. Oh yes, I’ve seen your paychecks, and I know you can’t save enough to get here any time soon.]

[Damn Louse! You’ve been through my mail?!]

[More like hacked the company’s computers.]

Izaya grinned, imagining the stream of curses and threats Shizu-chan must be spewing aloud right now. His fingers probably couldn’t type them all fast enough.

[I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!]

 _Sounds about right,_ Izaya thought, amused.

[And that’s exactly why you’ll never win.]

[I don’t want to win! Stay put, Louse! Don’t ever set foot in Ikebukuro again!]

[Glad we’re in agreement then! I’m off to bed.]

[What?! WAIT A SECOND!]

[Yes, Shizu-chan?]

[…what are the other rules?]

[But you just told me not to come back.]

[WHAT ARE THE DAMN RULES?!]

[I’m too tired to explain them to you now. I’ll tell you tomorrow, night~]

[IZAYA!]

_The next day…_

Izaya sat at his desk eating take-out and browsing his favorite chat rooms when his phone chimed.

[So what are the rules?]

[Hello to you too.]

[Tell me the damn rules before I change my mind.]

[So pushy~ Rule 1: No showing up and forcing me to come back. Rule 2: Bluffs are allowed, but do know that I can verify almost anything. I am an information broker after all! Rule 3: You initiate contact. Don’t expect me to come begging to you to chat just because we haven’t spoken in weeks. I’ll just assume you’ve given up on our game.]

[What if I die or something?]

[I guarantee you, I’d know if you did.]

[Stalker.]

[Information Broker.]

[So that’s it?]

[That’s all.]

[Good. Now get your ass back here.]

[*sigh* You’re not a very good strategist.]

[Nowhere in the rules that I have to be.]

[True.]


	6. Silent Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas rolls around, and still he's not home. The holidays give Shizuo some food for thought.

Year One: Christmas Eve

[If you think you’ll manage to get me back at Christmas, you’re quite mistaken. Bucharest is beautiful this time of year.]

[Oh, is it? And who do you have to spend it with, Flea?]

[No one.] Izaya replied nonchalantly. [But then, I wouldn’t be spending it with anyone in Ikebukuro either.]

[Not even your sisters?]

[They’re the last people I’d want to spend it with.]

Shizuo wrinkled his nose in disgust. He couldn’t imagine saying the same about Kasuka, or Kasuka saying the same about him. Just goes to show that the Flea doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself.

[Shinra?]

[Is probably having a romantic evening with Celty as we speak. He’d hate to be disturbed.]

[He didn’t seem to mind when I dropped off their present.]

[He and Celty used to mind when I dropped off one.]

[You probably said annoying things to them when you went. Or they were suspicious of whatever you gave them.]

[My point stands. I’m not wanted around the holidays so being alone suits me just fine.]

Shizuo frowned. That sounded so depressing. Had Izaya really spent every Christmas alone or with his sisters?

[Parents?]

[Christmas cruise.]

[What about that secretary chick?]

[Namie?] Izaya typed, surprised that Shizu-chan remembered her. 

[Yeah her.]

[She usually takes the whole week off to do holiday stuff with and for her little brother.]

[So, do you get presents?]

[I get prank ones, like dead rats, flaming piles of dogshit, Christmas cards signed “Fuck You”. I make sure to send my thanks for each one of course.]

Izaya chuckled darkly, wondering if Shizu-chan would take the hint.

[I see…]

Izaya could see the pity in the text and it made his blood boil. He couldn’t have the monster pitying him. After all, there was nothing to pity him for. Those gifts actually amused him. They were a lot better than getting nothing. 

[Don’t feel sorry. I’m not bothered by it at all.]

[Yeah, I know you aren’t. If you were a normal person I’d feel bad for you though.]

[Well, I’m not. So quit thinking about it. Anyway, what are your holiday plans?]

[Me?]

[Yes, you.]

[Tom is taking Vorona and I to a café tonight. Then I’ll sleep in Christmas Day, and when I wake up I’ll open my presents from Kasuka, my parents, Vorona, Shinra, Celty, and Tom.]

Shizuo stared at that message before he sent it, examining the list of all the people he loved and who loved him back. Had Shinra even mailed a card to Izaya? Had his sisters? _Why should I care about all that? I can’t think of any bastard that deserves to be all alone on Christmas more than Izaya does._ He pressed send.

Izaya narrowed his eyes at the text. The monster was so beloved. It was sickening. 

[I have work to do.] Izaya texted shortly.

[On Christmas Eve?]

[An information broker’s job is never done. Goodbye, Shizu-chan.]

[Merry Christmas, Izaya.] 

Izaya glared at the text, stubbornly refusing to write the same. He didn’t have to wish Shizu-chan a Merry Christmas. The protozoan was already having one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so the underlined words are pretty self-explanatory. Time jumps are going to start getting very big, so please pay attention to those. :) Thanks for reading this far. Enjoy the rest.


	7. The beginning of....something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time flies when you're winning a game.

For obvious reasons, Izaya and Shizuo didn’t text on Christmas Day. In fact, Shizuo’s next text arrived on New Year’s Eve. Izaya was already on his way to the countdown and fireworks. Rather than squeeze in among the thousands of people nestled among trees draped with icicle-style Christmas lights, Izaya scaled the roof of a nearby building and looked over the heads and lights, awaiting the countdown. One of his phones vibrated in his jacket. He frowned, knowing that he’d specifically cleared his schedule for this evening. Still, he dug through the five in his right pocket and was surprised to find that it was his personal one that had vibrated. He flipped it open.

[10]

Izaya stared blankly at the message for a moment. Being in different time zones, Japan’s New Year had started already.

[9] Izaya replied.

The crowd below chanted the corresponding number.

[8] Shizuo texted.

[7]

[6]

[5]

[4]

[3]

[2]

[1] Izaya pressed send, glad he had gotten the final number before the sky erupted.

This was far from Izaya’s first experience with fireworks, but instead of using them as a distraction for stealing valuable information, Izaya was able to look up, mesmerized by the sheer magnitude of the show. Lights flashed on all sides of him as the thunderous booming continued. No color was forgotten as the sky exploded in red, yellow, purple, blue, orange, and green blossoms. No sooner did one set dissipate than several more bloomed in the smoke. For the first five minutes, he forgot about his phone altogether. Then he felt it vibrate in his hand.

[Happy New Year, Flea.]

[Happy New Year, Shizu-chan.]

That was possibly the least violent interaction he and Shizu-chan had ever had. Izaya didn’t overthink it though. Instead he stretched, laid back and enjoyed the show.

Year 2: Shizuo’s Birthday

True to his word, Izaya did not initiate contact on Shizuo’s birthday. If Shizuo didn’t want to waste his day demanding that the flea come home, he didn’t have to. Despite the chorus of Happy Birthday’s Shizuo had gotten from his friends and family, he found himself growing irritated as midnight drew near in Japan. Izaya was definitely done with work by now, no matter what shit the louse might spew about never being done. How dare that bastard not text him! He grabbed his phone.

[Damn Flea!]

[Why, hello Shizu-chan~ How’s your birthday going?]

[Fine. So you do remember.]

[Of course I do. If I didn’t know the birthdays of my enemies, how could I know what day to make them wish they’d never been born?]

[Were you going to wish me a happy one?]

[Why would I? We hate each other.]

That was the effective death of whatever strange truce had been drawn on New Year’s Eve. Shizuo didn’t argue the point.

[Were you going to wish me a crappy one?]

[Shizu-chan, it’s right there in rule #2. If you don’t text me, I don’t text you.]

[You’re such an asshole.]

[I thought we’d already established that?]

[I hate you!]

[I hate you more~]

[BYE!]

[Happy Birthday, Shizu-chan! May you never have another~]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, sweet :) Uneventful. This is your last chapter like this. Brace yourselves.


	8. Season of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The early months are full of holidays celebrating love, and Izaya enjoys observing them.

Year 2: Valentine’s Day

[Hey.]

[Hey.]

[So, you ready to come back yet?]

[Shizu-chan, why do you even bother? You’re not putting any effort into it these days, and don’t say Shinra puts you up to it. I’ve already spoken to him.]

There was a long pause, and Izaya was certain he’d lost Shizu-chan again. That would be fine, of course. Shizu-chan was just a distraction.

[I don’t like to lose.]

A small smirk crossed Izaya’s face, despite his resolve not to engage. Telling Shizu-chan it was off now would be forfeit.

[I don’t like to lose either.]

[Get any chocolate today?]

Now that was an odd question for Shizuo to ask.

[Of course. Plenty. Although I’m more looking forward to observing Dragobete.]

[Drago- what?]

[A traditional Romanian holiday for lovers that’s making a comeback due to backlash against Valentine’s Day’s commercialism. It’s celebrated on the 24th of February, so I get the pleasure of observing both. And what about you, Shizu-chan, have you received any chocolate?]

[Yeah actually….]

[Really? A girl gave _you_ chocolate?]

[Sort of…]

[Please elaborate.]

[It’s from Vorona.]

[Ahhh, let me guess. It wasn’t courtesy chocolate?]

[How’d you know?]

[Because you sound like it made you uncomfortable. So, she’s finally making a move, huh? I suppose it’s about time seeing as you’re too slow to make the first one.]

[What the Hell are you talking about???]

[There’s obviously something between you. You were together more often than not before I left.]

[She’s my kohai!]

[She’s also a very attractive young woman.]

[IZAYAAAAAAAA!]

[She’s not my type, but I don’t know. You two just seem to fit together.]

There was a long pause as Shizuo tried to decipher the hidden slight, the insult in disguise.

[You mean that?]

[Have you ever known me to say things I don’t mean?]

[You don’t want me to answer that.]

[Fair enough. But in all seriousness, I do think she’s good for you.]

This was awkward, discussing his potential love life with his arch-enemy. Against all better judgment, he typed a question.

[So…what should I do?[

[Triple the return.]

[…I’ll think about it.]

[Don’t let her get away, Shizu-chan. Something tells me that she’s as good as you’re gonna get.]

Another long pause. Why was Izaya doing this? Was this some kind of trick to ruin what he and Vorona had? He changed the subject.

[So when’s your plane scheduled to leave?]

[My plane???]

[Back to Japan.]

[Very funny, Shizu-chan.]

Year 2: Dragobete

Izaya was taking the subway home from a long day of travel and human observation. Despite his weariness, he was seriously considering stopping by an open bar with lavish Dragobete decorations around it. One of his cellphone’s chimed in his pocket. He dug out the personal one. 

[How’s your Drago-whatever going?]

[Splendidly! It’s so fun to watch humans in a new environment, celebrating a holiday I’ve never seen before.]

[Isn’t it just like Valentine’s Day all over?]

[In some of the more modern areas it is. Different villages celebrate it differently of course. Naturally, I travelled around to see as much as I could before the day ended. In the morning there was flower-picking and bonfires.]

[Sounds boring.]

[Not at all, if you’re a skilled eavesdropper. Around noon, the girls run from the church to the village and are pursued by boys who like them. If a boy is fast enough and catches the girl first, and the girl likes him back, she kisses him in front of everyone.]

Shizuo stared at the message. There was something about it that made him uncomfortable. Like his brain wanted to make certain associations, and he simply wouldn’t let it. 

[That’s dumb. If the girls like them, why the hell would they run in the first place?]

[You of all people ought to understand the thrill of the chase, Shizu-chan. How satisfying would it have been for you to kill me if I just showed up and didn’t run or try to defend myself at all?]

[Pretty damn satisfying.]

[So maybe you don’t understand after all. Oh well.] Izaya replied, leaning against the outside of the bar and smirking. 

[Did you chase anyone?] 

It was hard for Shizuo to imagine Izaya being the pursuer, chasing after some girl in a pretty dress. Then again, as fast as Izaya was, that chase wouldn’t last long. 

[Of course not. I didn’t know anyone there, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to choose just one to chase.]

Shizuo’s chest unclenched. He hadn’t realized he’d tensed up waiting for an answer. Why would he do that? _Because there’s nothing scarier than imagining a Flea like Izaya being in love. Whatever poor girl Izaya set his affections on would probably suffer horribly. Or no…what if whoever he falls for is as bad as he is? They’d be invincible! The world as we know it would end!_ He realized that it was his turn to reply.

[Oh, that’s too bad.]

[Not at all. I prefer to watch anyway. Speaking of love holidays, have you decided what to get Vorona for White Day?]

[No.]

[Go big or go home.] 

[It’s not like I can afford anything huge anyway.]

[Then go for something small yet meaningful.]

Year 2: White Day

Shizu-chan was very dodgy about the subject of Vorona from then on. Izaya suspected that he hadn’t taken his advice. Probably thought Izaya was trying to trick him, which was hilarious because he actually wasn’t. _It figures. The one time I try to be genuinely helpful and nobody listens. Oh well, it’s no skin off my back!_ Today was White Day, and he was fairly certain Shizu-chan wouldn’t message him at all. He was sitting at his desk reading the Master and Margarita in Russian when his phone buzzed.

[Hey.]

[Hey.]

[So uh….I got Vorona some courtesy chocolate and told her I just wanted to be friends.]

[I figured as much. I still think you’re making a huge mistake.]

[Well, it’s my mistake to make.]

[I can respect that.]

Strangely Izaya wasn’t being sarcastic. He _could_ respect that. 

[So how’d your White Day go?]

[It’s non-existent here actually.]

[Really?]

[Yep. Chocolates and romance gifts are exchanged on Valentine’s Day and/or Dragobete by both parties.]

[You could have given things back anyway. Introduced them to something new.]

[True, but then they might take it to mean I’m more interested than I really am.]

[Who gave you chocolate anyway?]

[A coworker of mine, far too naïve for this business, and a shy girl who lives down the hall.]

[And you’re not interested?]

[Not romantically, no. My interest in them extends no further than it does for my other beloved humans.]

There was a long pause. 

[Have you ever been interested in anyone romantically before?]

[Yes, briefly, have you?]

[No….I don’t think so.]

[So poor Vorona never stood a chance huh?]

[You said you respected my decision!]

[I do. I just want to understand it more clearly. You weren’t romantically interested in her at all?]

[….maybe a little?]

[So why didn’t you give it a shot?]

[Because I didn’t want to risk losing what we have right now over it.]

[Interesting.]

[So, who were you romantically interested in?]

[You wouldn’t know her. A girl from middle school.]

It had happened back in a time before all humans had become equal in his eyes. It hadn’t gone anywhere. They never even dated, and in later years Izaya began to dismiss the incident as general fondness being mistaken for romantic love. He could say the same about his feelings for Shinra before he had known about Celty, but Shizu-chan didn’t need to know about that. It wasn’t like they were friends.

[Oh…]

[I have work to do Shizu-chan.]

[You always have work to do.]

[The work of an information broker is never done.]

[Yeah, that’s what you always say. Later Izaya, and come back already. The stench of you is vanishing from even Shinjuku.]

[LOL, later Shizu-chan!]


	9. Try Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shizuo changes his strategy.

Year 2: Izaya’s birthday

[Happy Birthday, Louse.]

[Shizu-chan, you remembered!]

[Of course I did.]

[So where’s my present?]

[Present? You didn’t get me a damn present!]

[Well, that can be expected of me. You, on the other hand, are supposed to be the better man.]

[I’ll tell you what. When you get back, I’ll give you one present for every year of your life.]

[Hmmmm, would these presents happen to involve bruises?]

[That’s right.]

[I’ll pass.]

[Don’t you think you’ve kept up this charade long enough?]

[What charade?]

[That you’re not coming back.]

[Shizu-chan, I have a home here. I have a steady income, and I’m making friends.]

[You’re making friends?]

[Building ties that could roughly be construed as friendship.]

[Is it possible that these people might want to kill you?]

[Yes…]

[Then they aren’t friends.]

[Alas, you’re probably right, but I’ve been fine thus far without such ties.]

[Your best friend is a doctor. That would be convenient in your line of work if you still lived near him.]

[I thought friends didn’t use each other.]

[They don’t, but they can rely on each other in times of need. You’re all alone up there.]

[Somehow, I’m not too worried.]

Year 2: October

Izaya was barely in the door when his phone rang. He sighed dramatically. _I love my job. I love my job. I love my job,_ he chanted to himself as he dug around for the proper phone. He was baffled to find that it was his personal phone ringing. No one ever called him on that. Everyone texted him these days.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

“Shizu-chan?”

“That’s me.”

“What are you doing?”

“Talking to you.”

“Why are you calling?”

“To talk to you.”

“I mean, why didn’t you just text?”

“I thought I’d try something new.”

“Ahhh….”

“You really ought to come back, Izaya.”

Izaya was startled by the softness in Shizu-chan’s voice, as if he really meant those words. 

“Doesn’t the sound of my voice infuriate you?” Izaya replied mockingly.

“Actually, no it doesn’t,” Shizuo replied, unusually calm. “In fact, I almost missed it.”

There was a long pause between them. Izaya could hear him breathing and beneath that there was a familiar hiss on the other side of the phone.

“Is it raining there?”

“Yeah it is. Is it raining where you are?”

“No,” Izaya replied, looking out at the bright autumn afternoon. The streets were bustling with his beloved humans. He heard a deep exhale over the speaker. “Are you out smoking?”

“Yes.”

Izaya could almost imagine being there, seeing him. But then, he smirked. If he were there, Shizu-chan would never be that calm. The peace of them just sitting and listening to each other breath and the rain fall. None of that could exist if they were in the same place. 

“Those things will kill you, you know,” Izaya said light-heartedly.

“I know that,” Shizuo replied. “So listen, will you please just come back already?”

Izaya heard something in Shizuo’s voice that really forced him to consider it for the first time. _Pleading….he’s pleading for me to come back there. Why? Isn’t Ikebukuro fine now? Hasn’t the crime and bloodshed settled?_

“What if I come back and it all goes back to the way it was?” Izaya asked earnestly.

“Why would that be a bad thing?”

Izaya sighed loudly. “I can’t go back to that, Shizu-chan, and neither can you. It was driving both of us insane. Isn’t your life so much easier without me?”

There was a painful silence, and Izaya knew the answer was yes. Just as his life here was much easier without Shizu-chan and without Simon, Shinra, Celty, Shiki, those high-schoolers, and many others. His life had become significantly less complicated and much more thrilling than it was lonely and sad. Only the texts and now…talking to Shizu-chan…made him feel that way. 

“Shizu-chan?” Izaya prodded, when no answer came after two whole minutes.

It was Shizuo’s turn to sigh.

“There’s something missing without you. Even if you do piss me off sometimes.”

Izaya chuckled, and Shizuo echoed it. 

“Shizu-chan…I have-“

“ _Please, Izaya?_ “ Shizuo growled, but there was something more to that rumble than anger.

“Maybe I can visit,” Izaya conceded at last. “See how it goes.”

“Yeah, see how it goes,” Shizuo echoed, voice notably lighter.

“I have to go now.”

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Goodbye Shizuo.”

“Shizuo?”

“Since we’re trying new things.”

“….call me Shizu-chan,” Shizuo grumbled.

“But I thought you hated-“

“I do! It’s just….it sounds…better…coming from you.”

“Better than your real name?”

Silence.

“Alright, have it your way. But don’t ever forget that you asked me to call you this,” Izaya said quietly, testing this new Shizuo. “Goodbye Shizu-chan.”

“Later, Izaya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! :D


	10. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naturally, Izaya wouldn't come back that easily.

Year 2: November

For a few weeks, Izaya half-heartedly shopped for plane-tickets, making a bigger fuss over price and seating than he had to. His suitcases sat empty, gathering dust in his closet. Every time he envisioned his return to Ikebukuro, his stomach churned in a sickly way. He thought about the way he left things with his friends and enemies. He thought about his declarations that he would never return. To set foot in Japan now would mean to go back on his word and seriously damage his reputation. Not to mention the danger he’d be in once he got there. While browsing his seventh travel site one evening in November, his cellphone rang. 

“You booked a plane ticket yet?” Shizuo asked finally. He’d backed off for a while, thinking the fight had been won, but that promise had been made weeks ago and Izaya hadn’t mentioned visiting since.

“Shizu-chan…these things take time.”

“You’re just stalling,” Shizuo growled, mildly annoyed.

“Can you really blame me? After all, setting foot in Japan again would mean you win and you know how I hate to lose.”

“Is that all this is to you? A damn game!” Shizuo barked, annoyance escalating quickly to anger.

“Isn’t it for you?”

"NO! I just went along with you when said all that shit about rules because I knew that’s the way you like to look at things! But people were being hurt and dying back then, so it was never a damn game!” Shizuo seethed, boiling from anger to rage. “And even though all that’s settled, it’s STILL not about winning. If that’s all this is to you, then you’re making me wonder why I even bothered!” 

“I already told you there are other reasons I left. Those don’t disappear just because you want me to come back.”

“BULLSHIT! You’re just being your usual cowardly self! I should have known you never intended to come back.”

“I did!”

There was a sharp click, and Izaya sighed and tossed his phone across the room. Honestly, why did he ever bother? Shizu-chan was right. He had never had any intention of going back. It had been stupid to give the monster false hope. And even if he had actually gone back, Shizu-chan would have just punched him in the face as soon as the plane landed. 

Year 2: Christmas

“Another Christmas alone?” Shizuo asked with clear intention to wound.

“No actually. I got invited to a Christmas party,” Izaya replied smugly. 

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I’m getting ready to go now. I expect it to run late into the evening so don’t expect me to call back.”

“You never call back anyway.”

“Don’t sound so down, Shizu-chan. It really is for the best that we stay apart. Besides, what are your Christmas plans this year? Going out with Tom and Vorona?”

“Yeah….”

“You still haven’t changed your mind about her?”

“No, and I won’t so don’t ask again!”

“I still think it’s worth the risk.”

“You really want to talk to _me_ about risks, Izaya?” Shizuo growled, the edge in his voice sharper than Izaya’s pocket-knife.

“No,” Izaya replied simply, his voice still buoyant despite Shizu-chan’s efforts. “Well, I’m off to party. Merry Christmas, Shizu-chan.”

“Merry Christmas, Flea,” Shizuo huffed. 

 

Year 3: October

New Year’s Eve passed, as did all the love holidays and both their birthdays, and the calling continued but Izaya didn’t mention visiting again. Shizuo quit pushing for him to come home altogether. He’d rather talk about his own dull yet seemingly perfect life and how Izaya is doing. Talking about Izaya coming back just pissed him off these days. It had been three years. Maybe it was time to accept that Izaya just wasn’t going to come home. That evening in October had seemed like every other one for Shizuo. He had a decent day at work. He’d spoken to Celty in the park. He’d eaten at Russia Sushi, and he was just getting in the door at his apartment when he finally called Izaya. The phone had barely finished its first ring when it was answered.

“Hey, Izaya.” 

“Shizu-chan, now’s not the best time I’m afraid,” Izaya panted. There was a loud bang and the ring of metal clashing in the background.

“The Hell is going on over there?” Shizuo asked, sitting up slowly on his couch.

Another loud bang, clearer this time, nearer to the phone.

“Was that a gunshot?!” 

“Yeah, I’m kind of-“ Izaya huffed, mid-sprint. “in the middle of a business disa-“

Several more shots fired. Izaya made a sound like a strangled version of a scream.

“IZAYA! ARE YOU SHOT?!” 

“Grazed my shoulder, no big deal,” Izaya hissed through gritted teeth.

“HANG UP THE DAMN PHONE AND RUN, FLEA!” Shizuo bellowed.

“Great advice! Call you back later! Bye Shizu-chan!”

The line went dead.

Shizuo was already regretting letting Izaya hang up. What if he couldn’t call back? What if he was already shot and dying? _Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! I CAN’T JUST SIT HERE!_ He thought about his bank account. Regardless of Izaya’s stupid ass rules, Shizuo HAD been saving for a plane ticket to drag his ass back here. But Izaya was right and he barely had enough to get there, let alone to bring both of them back, and besides, the flea was in danger NOW. He didn’t have hours to catch a plane and switch flights and shit. Two hours passed and Shizuo steeled himself to do the unthinkable and ask his little brother for money or a private jet or something, then the phone rang.

“IZAYA?”

“Hey, Shizu-chan,” Izaya rasped.

“What happened? Where are you?!”

“I ran into some trouble with a business partner…it’s been taken care of...”

No need to ask what that meant, not that Shizuo cared about that guy. 

“You sound like shit. Are you hurt?” Shizuo asked, his stomach clenched. What if this was some kind of ‘last-phonecall’ thing? What if Izaya was dying, and Shizuo had no way to get to him? 

“Hospitalized, actually.”

“The hospital? Is that safe? Can they get to you there?”

“No….I think I’ll be fine here.” 

Relief flooded through Shizuo, and then-

“Damn it, Izaya! I told you, you should have come back!”

Izaya cackled softly.

“Why? So you could have finished the job?” he said with a snort.

“SO I COULD PROTECT YOU, DUMBASS!” Shizuo shouted, shoulders shaking.

The shout echoed, and when it faded all that was left was the rasp of Izaya struggling to breath. Shizuo was still shaking in a disturbing mixture of fear and rage. 

“What the Hell is wrong with you?! Why couldn’t you just come home, Izaya?!”

“You sound concerned,” Izaya mused. 

“I AM FUCKING CONCERNED!” Shizuo roared, kicking his couch over. “YOU COULD HAVE DIED! DOESN’T THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!”

“….if someone was listening to this, they might actually mistake us for friends,” Izaya said, sounding far more amused than he ought to in this situation.

“We are friends!” Shizuo snapped.

“We are?” Izaya asked, honestly surprised. 

“We are,” Shizuo asserted, slightly annoyed that it had taken them both this long to realize it. 

“Oh….I guess that would explain the lack of death threats lately,” Izaya said, still pondering this. “So…you don’t hate me anymore?”

“No, but you really are pissing me off with all these dumbass questions,” Shizuo growled. “I said we’re friends. Why isn’t that enough for you?”

“…good. I don’t hate you either, Shizu-chan.”

“You don’t?”

“Now who’s asking stupid questions?” Izaya said, shutting his eyes. All the medication he was on had his head spinning, he knew he was about to ramble, but he let it happen. “All the things I thought I hated about you…they seem so small now. You’re far from the dumbest creature on the planet. And even your temper isn’t the worst...like how you don’t kill people just because they asked the wrong question…”

“Gee thanks,” Shizuo huffed, though he wasn’t as pissed as he usually would be. Something in Izaya’s voice sounded off. It made him nervous. Was he dying in the hospital? Is that why he wasn’t more specific about his wounds?

“And you are ridiculously strong, but it’s only because of a flaw in your human body. Unlike Celty, you are entirely human. You do bleed and you will die someday. You behave so strangely though… but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that…now that you aren’t here to ruin my plans. Its fine that you’re so unique. In fact, it makes you as interesting as Shinra is with his detachment from humanity.”

“Izaya…how badly wounded are you?”

“I’m fine…I only got grazed by the bullet but I dislocated my other shoulder jumping a brick wall…Why?”

“Nothing….you just sound strange.”

“They have me on a marvelous cocktail of painkillers. That’s all.”

“Oh…okay.”

“But Shizu-chan…you hated me from the moment we met. Do you know why that is?”

“Well, you just showed up when I was in a bad mood and your voice sounded….I don’t know…There was something about you that just seemed….”

“Bad?”

“No…Well, yeah but…”

“I pissed you off. My very essence did.”

“Yeah maybe….but that was be-“ 

“Shizu-chan, you need to know that I haven’t changed.”

“…okay?”

“The same things that pissed you off about me…they’re still there. They’re still me. And I’m not changing them. I like them. I like who I am, Shizu-chan.”

 _And that’s why he’s scared to come back,_ Shizuo realized.

“It doesn’t matter how long we stay away from each other. It could be decades, or centuries. I’m not going to change. The Izaya you hated back then is the same Izaya you’ve been chatting and texting every day for the last two years. He’s the same Izaya you called your friend just now. He’s the same Izaya you sound so worried about.”

Izaya’s voice sounded thick, almost like a laugh was bubbling up under it, or maybe even a sob. 

“Okay, I get that. I understand, Izaya. I really do…So when are they releasing you?”


	11. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izaya gets a surprise in the mail, and Shizuo airs some suspicions he's been clinging to for a while.

Year 4: Spring

Izaya had spent Christmas at home with his arm in a sling, watching humans from his window and listening to Shizu-chan talk about his day. On New Year’s Eve, he managed to squeeze in among the masses and watch the fireworks show. It seemed to Izaya that Shizuo had spent the majority of his birthday talking to him on the phone, to a point of brushing off someone wishing him a happy one in the background. The same could be said for Valentine’s Day and Dragobete, when Shizuo forbade Izaya to mention Vorona and sounded oddly anxious whenever he asked if Izaya had received any tokens of affection. A few days before White Day, Izaya received something unexpected in the mail.

“I do believe that the world is about to experience a shortage of lace,” Izaya purred, holding the delicate paper and cloth between two fingers.

“I take it you got your invite?”

“Of course I did. So they’re finally going through with it? I can’t imagine what took them so long to be honest.”

“Shinra was probably waiting on you to get back.”

“So are you the best man in my absence?”

“Depends. Are you coming to the wedding?”

Shizuo hadn’t asked Izaya about coming back since he got shot toward the end of last year.

“Of course not,” Izaya replied, unfazed. “As you well know, my presence would only spoil the celebration.”

“So you’re going to spoil it by not showing up instead? I thought he was your best friend.”

“He was my only friend for a number of years, Shizu-chan, and we weren’t very good at being friends even then. I would say that currently, you are my best friend.”

Shizuo didn’t know what to say about that. If Shizuo had to pick favorites, he’d say Celty was his best friend, because she seemed to understand him best and she pissed him off less than anyone else he knew. But Izaya was important too, in his own way. Shizuo knew that now. These days it was just a matter of how to explain it to him. The silence was deafening.

“I’ll tell you what,” Izaya interjected cheerfully. “I promise I’ll be home for your wedding.”

“I’m not gonna marry Vorona!” Shizuo snapped.

“I didn’t say to Vorona. I’ll be home for your wedding no matter who the lucky woman may be.” 

“And if there is no woman?”

“Ahhh, so you do have a thing for Tanaka?” 

Shizuo’s face burned like it had been set on fire. “SHUT UP, FLEA!” 

Izaya just laughed on the other end. Shizuo growled until it stopped, but the anger didn’t linger as dark and heavy as it used to in the old days. Deep down, Shizuo felt the slightest bit of amusement at Izaya’s twisted sense of humor. He could never admit it though. He cleared his throat, prepared to make a declaration.

“Izaya….I want to see you.”

“We could Skype.”

“What?”

“Video-chat.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“No, but it would be something new. And you could see me.”

Shizuo sighed and ran a hand across his face. Obviously, this wasn’t going to work. He’d tried to give up on Izaya coming back, he really had. But the closer they got over the phone, the harder it was to let him go for good. Against his better judgment, he decided to bring up something he’d been thinking about for a while now. 

“Hey Izaya…”

“Yeeeees?” Izaya drawled, lazily reading the invitation to the wedding he’d never attend.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said about Vorona and me….how you keep bringing it up.”

“Have you changed your mind?” Izaya asked smoothly. Shizuo could almost see the cool smirking mask on his face.

“No, but…I’ve been thinking about that and what Shinra said right after you left. How you might have thought I was ignoring you…” 

“….I’m not following, Shizu-chan.”

“Is there any chance that you left because….you thought Vorona and I were….?”

There was a long pause, and Shizuo could sense a dark cloud hanging over the line. The Informant’s next words were slightly strained, something even Shizuo wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t been talking on the phone constantly for the last few years.

“Of course not,” Izaya replied. “Why would that matter? We hated each other then.” 

Shizuo swallowed. It was a real challenge to push on. It had been so long since they’d really argued. 

“Izaya, I think you and I both know there was a lot more going on back then than us hating each other.”

Another agonizing pause. For a moment Shizuo thought Izaya might actually hang up on him. 

“Are you implying that I’ve been secretly in love with you all along and that I ran away from Japan because I couldn’t bear the idea of living so near you but having lost you anyway?” 

“Well…when you put it like that it sounds...”

“Stupid? That’s because it is.”

“Okay, okay, no need to rub it in…So you don’t-?“

“You really don’t want me to answer that,” Izaya replied icily.

“Okay…so…how would you handle Shinra’s bachelor party?”

“He’s not interested in women who aren’t Celty, so no strippers,” Izaya chirped. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t take him to a dance club and get a few drinks in him. Or you could plan the night in. Order some good food, and corny romance movies.”

“So basically, it’ll suck no matter what I do, but Shinra will like it?”

“Basically.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So short, I know. :) But the next one's so very long. Thank you for your comments and kudos.


	12. The Greatest Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More unexpected gifts in the mail, only these might change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is extra long and not beta-read at all. Please be merciful.

Year 4: December

Izaya spent Christmas Eve at home with hot chocolate and a blanket. He and Shizuo chatted about the Christmas Party Shinra threw last weekend in his absence and how just about everyone asked about him. Izaya was certain Shizuo was playing it up to make him homesick. For the first time, it was working.

Christmas morning, Izaya woke up to the phone ringing at his bedside. 

“You sent me a Christmas present?!”

“Of course I did,” Izaya yawned. “Isn’t that what friends do?”

“What’s in it? A bomb? Some kind of poison gas?”

“Hey, now I’m hurt!” Izaya said in an exaggerated wounded voice. “You said we were friends.”

“And you said that you haven’t changed.”

“I haven’t personality-wise, but that doesn’t mean I’m still actively trying to kill you.”

“Then what’s in it?”

“Open it and see.”

There was a crinkle and tearing of wrapping paper.

“…cookies?”

“Gourmet gingerbread. Sealed in a special container and mailed early with special instructions to ensure Christmas Day delivery. Notice anything special about them?”

“A lot of them have bowties and glasses….is that supposed to be me?”

“Of course.”

“And some of these have dark jackets and white icing…that’s supposed to be like fur trim right? Those are you?”

“Yes.”

“These are….nice.”

“Think of it as my round-about way of saying ‘Eat me’. “ 

“Asshole,” Shizuo snorted.

“Taste one and see if you still feel that way.”

Shizuo hesitated for a moment, feeling a phantom distrust from their years as enemies. Then he took a slow bite and chewed. A hum grew within his chest and his eyes fluttered shut, almost like he was in the midst of an orgasm. 

“You’re still an asshole,” Shizuo murmured half-heartedly. “But these are pretty good. Thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome, Shizu-chan.”

“Listen…yours might come a little late…Call me when it does?”

“You got something for _me?_ I’m touched.”

“It was a group effort,” Shizuo brushed off. “Anyway…it won’t be arriving in as timely a manner so….maybe a few days, maybe a week.”

“Oooo, I can’t wait. Why is it so late? Was it large?” 

“I can’t explain without giving it away. So…you’ll call when you get it right?” 

“You know my rules, Shizu-chan.”

“You already broke that rule when you got shot!” 

“True….but that was a very special occasion~” 

Shizuo sighed loudly into the phone, “Fine, I’ll call you.”

And so the waiting game began. Shizuo started calling twice a day, once early and once late. Izaya started doing work from home. His increasing curiosity about this gift made him reluctant to leave the apartment, lest he miss his package. New Year’s Eve was fast approaching and Izaya was growing impatient. Was it going to end up being a birthday present instead? Maybe he would have forgotten about it altogether if Shizu-chan didn’t keep calling to remind him. 

One evening while he was eating dinner at his desk, the doorbell rang. Izaya instinctively flicked his knife and slunk towards it with deadly caution. With his switchblade just behind his back, he opened the door.

“Package for Orihara?” asked a fairly pudgy man holding a clipboard. 

Dropping his guard slightly, Izaya signed for it and took the fairly heavy box. He double-locked the door behind him. Whatever it was, Shizuo’s apartment was the return address. He was almost tempted to call the monster and tell him that the damn package had finally arrived. He glanced at his watch. _He’ll call soon enough,_ Izaya assured himself, settling onto his bed with his extremely late gift. With his pocketknife, he slit the tape and flipped open the box and saw…popcorn-like white stuffing. He put the knife down and dug the real gift out. A book? No, a large black photo album, with his name emblazed in gold and all the years he’d been gone listed beneath his name. He could guess where this was going, but he smiled and opened to the first page anyway.

_To our dear friend, Izaya. May he find his way home._

Izaya laughed, he had to. Were they serious? He glanced over the first pictures, beautiful professional shots of city-life in Ikebukuro and even some of Shinjuku near his old apartment. _I sold it long ago…_ he reminded himself. The faces in the pictures were blurred by motion, but Izaya was sure he’d seen many of the people in them. He was always observing his precious humans after all, like that brunette woman, walking along the crosswalk, yes, Izaya had probably seen her at a café or in a grocery store. There was a dog in one corner of a picture, Izaya had definitely seen that one being walked many times. 

Then came the photos of Shinra and Celty, mostly selfies with Shinra’s face, and Celty’s neck filling the camera. They were dressed as usual, Celty in her black body suit and Shinra in a lab coat. The locations were easy to guess, relaxing on the porch, of huddled on the couch in the apartment. It was only around page three that the background showed how clearly it was Christmas, colorful lights and green tinsel hanging from the ceiling of their cozy apartment. More Christmas photos followed. Shizuo, Tom, and Vorona were photographed in that café he’d mentioned. It was a heavily decorated place and a large cake with white icing and strawberries sat in the center. Vorona was sitting very close to Shizu-chan, who wasn’t smiling. Something unpleasant coiled in Izaya’s chest at that picture and he turned the page. 

_Now that’s interesting,_ he thought, staring into the familiar faces of three high school students, well…they probably weren’t in high school anymore. They look a lot older now. Izaya shouldn’t be surprised, but it was unsettling, seeing how time had moved without him. Mikado Ryugamine, leader of the Dollars, or perhaps former leader now, was to the far left of the trio in a green elf-costume, complete with pointy ears. In his resolve not to meddle in Ikebukuro affairs, Izaya had cut all direct contact with Mikado. He knew the Dollars still existed, but that was about all he knew. Masaomi Kida was to the far right of the group in an outfit identical except red instead of green. Whether or not he was still involved with the Yellow Scarves was also lost on Izaya. In fact, hadn’t he droped out of school and disappeared for a while? When and why did he return? The lack of knowledge was eating at him now that he had to face it. Front and center of the trio stood Anri Sonohara, the Demon Blade girl, playing the role of a busty Mrs. Clause. Now chances were that SHE was still the head of that mindless Saika army. Oddly, Izaya’s previous distaste for her had dissipated, much like his hatred for Shizu-chan had. He even felt the sort of fondness that extended to all humans when looking at her face beneath the fluffy red and white hat.

And so the pictures went on and on, for every major holiday and even a few regular days of different seasons. Familiar faces posed under umbrellas in the rain, caught up in a swirl of bright leaves in the fall, laid in the grass at a park on a summer’s day, wrapped their arms around snowmen and crouched inside igloos on a winter afternoon. The eyes were as bright as the smiles. These weren’t fake or forced. Izaya had observed enough humans to be able to tell. They had been truly happy in these moments, all these people. He knew that they weren’t like this all the time between the photos. He knew that there had to have been tears, and anger, and fear between these pages, but he decided not to dwell on that. He’d rather revel in what was presented. 

Fifty-two pages in all in all, and over one hundred pictures. The last few pages were extra-special. Every person in these pictures were holding up posters that all started with the words “I want Izaya to come home because…” The first picture was of Shinta and Celty holding up caution-tape yellow posters.

Shinra’s poster read: I want Izaya to come home because he’s my childhood friend and I want him to be the Best Man at my wedding to Celty.

Celty (captured mid-punch to Shinra’s stomach) held a sign that read: I want Izaya to come home because he means a lot to Shinra, and even though we didn’t always get along, I really miss him.

Izaya glanced at the photo beneath that one, with Simon and Dennis. They were both holding up a single sign in Simon’s awful Japanese writing: I want Izaya to come home because sushi is good for him and I make his favorite every night if he just come back.

An unfamiliar ache spawned inside Izaya’s chest. Looking at the sadness gleaming in Simon’s eyes, Izaya knew he was being earnest, maybe more so than Shinra and Celty.

Next was a photo of Dotachin and his gang. They were posed in front of Saburo Togusa’s van in a jumble. They all had smiles on their faces and Walker was trying to block Erika’s sign (which had something to the effect of Shizuo and Izaya belonging together and who was topping and love) with his own (which was filled with manga and anime references, but the gist of it was “because he’s the closest to a badass villain as Ikebukuro’s gonna get"). For some reason, both of these made Izaya smirk happily.

Dotachin had a sly look on his face as his sign read: I want Izaya to come home because who else is going to show up out of nowhere, fill me in on what’s going on, and call me Dotachin?

Saburo’s sign read: I want Izaya to come home because he owes me in van repairs.

Ahhh yes, now that Izaya thought about it, he did owe him some money. Maybe he would send it next Christmas if he was feeling generous. 

The next photo was of the three (maybe) high school kids. They had a sort of Charlie’s angels pose. Their faces were dramatic and Sonohara was in the middle again.

Sonohara’s sign read: I want Izaya to come home because Shinra and Shizuo seem lonely without him.

 _Now how would she happen to know that?_ Izaya wondered. Was she closer to his friends than he knew? What was their connection to her exactly? He shelved those thoughts for another day.

Kida’s sign read: I want Izaya to come home because I really need my part-time job back so I can save up and buy Saki a wedding ring!

Izaya smirked. He had gathered from the many pictures that she and Kida were still together, yet oddly she seemed to never be in the same photos where these three were together. She was either with Kida or alone. 

Ryugamine’s sign read: I want Izaya to come home because I really need help with that _thing_ we were discussing before he left.

Izaya grinned wide, so Mikado was still the leader of the Dollars, and he was still in need of Izaya’s guidance on certain matters. Now this one, Izaya was inclined to help out. It might be a slippery slope though, getting involved in Ikebukuro's business again. He tucked that thought away for later. 

As expected, Saki was alone in her photo. Her smile was sweet and all-knowing, and her message was simple and wise: I want Izaya to come home because Ikebukuro is where he truly belongs. He’ll return once he realizes that. 

Izaya was again reminded of the sting of her betrayal years ago, when she chose Kida over him. She was everything Izaya had ever wanted of his followers. Still, he felt an almost paternal fondness for her. _They have to leave the nest sometime._

He turned the page and was met with the faces of the Yagiri siblings and Mika Harima. Namie’s expression was one of unadulterated annoyance. Her dark eyes were not on the camera, but on Mika who was sitting in Seji’s lap. Izaya clapped his hands gleefully. Namie was carelessly letting the sign hang by her side.

Namie’s sign read: I want Izaya to come home because he still owes me for the overtime I spent closing up his business for good. It took weeks to convince all our clients that he was never returning.

 _It’s always money with you,_ he thought, secretly pleased with this. It was nice to know she hadn’t changed at all. She didn’t even look much older. _Or is that the magic of make up?_

Seji and Mika’s sign was handwritten in blue and pink, which was probably supposed to be romantic. It simply read: We want Izaya to come home because he helped bring us together and tested our love. Now it’s stronger than ever.

 _I wonder if Mika told Namie that I was the one who sabotaged her plan to capture her. Probably not, or she wouldn’t be in that picture at all._

His eyes drifted to the left of the page which surprisingly had a picture of the foreign ticket seller Kazutano. His sign was almost unreadable, nothing in it made sense on the surface, so he started guessing at what the kanji were supposed to be and came up with something like: I want Izaya to come home because “something something” front row tickets. 

_Tickets to what, I wonder?_

Izaya turned the page and saw the faces of his twin sisters, and boy had THEY grown. It was fascinating. He hardly recognized them at all. They were back to back. Mairu was wearing rimless glasses, a mini-mini-skirt and a hoody and Kururi was wearing short-shorts and a gym t-shirt. 

The sign between them read: We want Izaya to come home because we ~~miss our brother~~ Shizuo promised to let us meet Kasuka if we dropped him tied up on his doorstep.

Beneath that was a single word, probably written by Kururi: Home(Please return, Brother).

Izaya rolled his eyes, though it did hurt to see them change so much. He still didn’t know how to deal with them, but maybe they’d be more manageable now that they were older. 

Below their picture was possibly the most shocking of all. It was the Awakusu-Kai’s headquarters and Shiki was sitting on his couch. He held up a simple sign that read: I want Izaya to come home because, despite all he’s done, he has a bright future with us and he will always have our patronage if ever he should need it. 

Izaya’s heart pounded as he leaned in and studied Shiki’s usually unreadable expression in the photo. His eyes….something was off about his eyes. He looked….despondent…as if Izaya’s leaving had truly saddened him. Surely Shiki hadn’t really expected him to stay after all that happened? How could Izaya have trusted Shiki to protect him when the Awakusu had their own reasons to try and kill him? 

He flipped the page. _What? No Shizu-chan?!_ He felt a flash of rage, which he was very wholly unused to. So Shizu-chan thought that just because they talked on the phone all the time, he didn’t have to bother with one of these strangely heart-warming(wrenching) poster-photos? _FINE!_ Izaya slammed the book shut and tossed it to the far side of the bed. As if on cue, his personal phone rang. Izaya snatched it up.

“Hey Iz-“ 

“Where’s your photo?” Izaya snapped. No clever games, no teasing or taunts, he wasn’t in the mood. 

“My…? So you got it?”

“Where’s the photo of you saying why you want me back so badly?” Izaya demanded. 

Shizuo sighed heavily. “This is why I told you to call.”

“Shizu-chan, must not want me back very much if he couldn’t bother to scrawl a few words on a poster and get someone to snap a picture of it. Is this your last joke? To make me believe that no one wanted me back except you, only to reveal that everyone else did except for you? Was it fun? Stringing me along and making me think we were friends?“ Izaya ranted, a maniacal cackle escaping him. He fell into his office chair and swiveled in circles. “You really got me this time, Shizu-chan. I’ll admit, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you were capable of plotting for so long with that protozoan brain of yours, let alone following through. Perhaps I’ve underestimated you all these years. In any case, ‘the jig is up’, as they say. Don’t bother calling me again until you send the damn photo, or if you can’t be bothered, then don’t call at all!”

“CHECK THE DAMN LAST PAGE!”

“I already did! It’s not there!”

“BEHIND YOUR SISTERS’ PHOTO, FLEA! IF YOU HAD CALLED FIRST LIKE I TOLD YOU, I COULD HAVE EXPLAINED A LOT OF THOSE PHOTOS! I HAD A DAMN COMMENTARY PREPARED!”

Izaya was too busy flipping through the album to listen. He slipped the final photo out and examined its content with Shizuo ranting in his ear.

“I SPENT DAYS REHEARSING WITH SHINRA AND YOU COULDN’T BE BOTHERED TO PICK UP THE DAMN-“

“Shizu-chan…” Izaya said softly, so softly that it was hard to believe that Shizuo could have heard him.

“D-did you find it?” Shizuo stuttered, all his supposed rage vanished. There was no turning back now. No taking it back. He’d meant to not show it at all, if Izaya could be convinced to come back without it. 

“I need to know the truth. And if you lie to me, I’ll know and you’ll never be able to contact me again,” Izaya said, his tone absolutely murderous. “Do you really mean what you wrote here…or is it based on your dumbass theories about why I left?”

Shizuo swallowed. He’d never heard Izaya’s voice like that before. Whenever they confronted each other, Shizuo was the one who got angry, and yelled and threatened. It was scary to have the shoe on the other foot. One wrong word and Izaya might really mail some poisonous substance to his house.

“I meant it,” Shizuo said quietly. “I’ve been trying to tell you for a while now…and I just didn’t know how…”

Izaya took a deep breath over the phone, a sound that Shizuo recognized as swallowing murderous rage. When Izaya spoke again, it was in a softer way.

“So…what do we do about it…?”

“For starters….you can come back.”

Izaya sighed deeply, but not one that sounded like exasperation….it was more resigned.

“It’ll be different when you come back,” Shizuo whispered. “I swear it will be.”

“You really think we can be friends, Shizu-chan?”

“….friends? But…what about-“

“Let’s just work on trying not to kill each other first…after that…we’ll see.”

“So you’ll do it? For real this time?”

“I’m booking my plane ticket as we speak.”


	13. Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of a long vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright you guys, here it is. Un-beta-read as always.

Shizuo couldn’t remember the last time he was too nervous to smoke. Pulling a single cigarette out of his pack seemed like an impossible task with his hands shaking like this. Once he finally managed to grab one, he accidentally crushed it in half before he could light it. _The Hell is wrong with me? What am I so nervous about? It’s just Izaya…_ But he knew the truth. It was never _just_ Izaya, and it never would be again. These last four years had changed everything, or he hoped they had. _Of course, they have!_ Shizuo berated himself. _I haven’t thought about killing him for over a year at least…maybe shake him up a little, but he can survive that! Wait- no!_ He couldn’t even do that. If Izaya caught even the slightest hint that Shizuo might hurt him, he’d flee again. And this time he’d really never come back. Shizuo’s gut contorted in all sorts of ways at the thought of Izaya hopping another plane to get away from him. That couldn’t happen. Izaya had to stay.

He stood in the baggage claim area. His eyes swept over the crowd several times. Izaya’s plane should have landed by now, and Shizuo was sense him nearby. He sniffed the air. _He’s so close…but where…?_ Anxiously, Shizuo made a half turn and found him at last. 

There Izaya stood, seemingly un-aged in his fur-trimmed coat, but a little less boney than Shizuo remembered him. Their narrowed eyes met, blue-tinted honey on reddish-brown. The bustling airport atmosphere seemed to grow still and thick with tension. For a long moment, it seemed that history might repeat itself. That all four years were wasted and lost and that their budding friendship, which had thrived on separation and distance, would be killed by the sudden close contact. 

A second dragged into a minute and Izaya stood perfectly still. His usual annoyingly smug smirk was plastered on his face, but Shizuo could tell now that something was off. Izaya hadn’t said a word yet, and Shizuo _knew_ how much he loved to hear himself talk. Then he realized… _I get it…he’s waiting on me to make the first move this time._

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Izaya echoed. “Long time no see, Shizu-chan.”

“Yeah…it’s been a while…”

The stand-off continued. Shizuo was painfully aware of how far away from him Izaya was standing. If he chose to turn and run, Shizuo would never catch him.

“What are you standing way over there for?” Shizuo asked at last, feigning annoyance to hide his fear.

Izaya gave him a searching look, but rather than reply verbally, he moved closer. When he stopped moving, there was still a whole four feet between them. Shizuo’s scowl deepened, then he sighed. Without hesitation, the former bartender strode forward and closed the distance between them. Nose to nose, they glared at each other, still wrestling between instinct and will-power. Shizuo wrapped his arms around Izaya’s lithe form and to his surprise Izaya didn’t flinch or squirm. Apparently will-power had won. Izaya’s face rested against his shoulder and Shizuo held him tighter.

“Welcome back,” the blonde murmured into Izaya’s hair, breathing in his scent. It was hard for him to believe he’d ever thought that smell was a bad thing. Right now, he never wanted to be without it again.

“Thank you, Shizu-chan...” Izaya replied, his voice betraying his deep relief. He’d been so certain that Shizu-chan would take one look at his face and hate him all over again. 

“I know you meant what you said on the phone…but I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.”

Izaya’s spine went rigid beneath Shizuo’s arms. Shizuo swore at himself for being so driven by emotion, so impatient. He’d just got him back. He couldn’t scare him away. 

“Shit…I shouldn’t have asked,” Shizuo growled, more to himself than Izaya. “We can take this as slow as you need to. I’m just glad you’re here.”

Izaya lifted his head from Shizuo’s shoulder and took a step back to meet his eyes.

“It’s alright Shizu-chan. I…” Izaya froze, unable to say the words. He let it go. He’d be able to say them with time, hopefully. “I suppose I’m going to have to get used to this eventually. Just this once, okay? Then we take it slow.”

Shizuo didn’t need to be told twice. He leaned forward, savoring the warmth that flooded both of their faces as their lips brushed. Kissing Izaya came as naturally to Shizuo as fighting and chasing him had all those years ago. Gentle enough to let Izaya know he was safe, but firm enough to let him know how serious Shizuo was about this. _I’m not letting you go again, not ever,_ the blond silently declared. He could sense how to make it last without suffocating them both. When it was over and their eyes locked again, he could see in Izaya’s expression that that kiss was far from their last.

“I think we’d better get going now…seems we’ve made a bit of a scene and people are staring,” Izaya said, lips returning to their cool smirk. His eyes had yet to leave Shizuo’s.

“Let them stare,” Shizuo replied haughtily, silently daring anyone to make a remark. He’d kill them dead. 

“And I have to get my luggage.” 

“Huh? Oh…right. I’ll carry it for you.”

Now that they were forced to linger, it was a little embarrassing, because people kept glancing at them when they thought they weren’t looking. It was really starting to piss Shizuo off. He gathered up both of Izaya’s red suitcases with ease and they headed out of the airport.

“One more thing, Shizu-chan.”

“Yes?”

“I sold my apartment in Shinjuku a long time ago so…”

“You’re staying with me?” Shizuo asked, a slow grin spreading over his face.

“Bravo! Your deduction skills have greatly improved in the past few years. Yes, I’m staying with you, but remember, you promised-“

“Yeah, slow, I know,” Shizuo scoffed, trying to sound annoyed by Izaya’s insult but he couldn’t stop grinning.

Izaya kept a steady stride ahead of him, raising one hand to hail a cab and sticking the other his pocket. His hand brushed against a slightly bent photograph. All the others were still in the album, tucked away in his suitcase, but this was the one that steeled his nerves so that he could confront Shizu-chan again. This was the photo that had dragged him thousands of miles back to a city he’d sworn never to see again. This was a photo of Shizuo Heiwajima sitting on the couch in his small shoddy apartment, looking both annoyed and extremely embarrassed, and holding a sign written on with red ink: I want Izaya to come back because I’m in love with him and maybe that’s twisted, or fucked up, or crazy, or he’ll just laugh when he reads this, but I don’t care! I love him and being away from him is killing me more than anything else ever could. So I’m asking him one more time, probably not the last, to come home and give us a chance.

_Here it is, Shizu-chan. Our chance. Don’t blow it,_ Izaya thought, watching the blond load the trunk with his suitcases. He had a good feeling that Shizu-chan wouldn’t. He wouldn’t regret returning to Ikebukuro, no matter what became of this little experiment. The way that Shizu-chan was looking at him right now, the memory of their first kiss, those alone would make this all worth-while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to think every person who commented, left kudos, or even clicked to view it! It was really hard to write this whole work and then have the patience to review every chapter each night, so you really kept me going!


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